


Recovery

by Masterweaver



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, But that doesn't mean everything's perfect right away, In which Ruby manages to save her mother, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-Volume 8 (RWBY), Summer Returns, graphic depictions of injury, summer hound theory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-18 14:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29611038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masterweaver/pseuds/Masterweaver
Summary: She rasps at him. “H... hua..”“How...?”A nod. “Luh...”“Long...? How long...” The doctor sighs. “You’ve been through a lot, Summer. I don’t know how much you can recover--”She shakes her head. “Nn! Nn.... Hua... luh... gugh?” Every fragmentary sound is a monumental struggle, and by the end of it she’s shaking, begging the man to understand her with her eyes. She has to know...“...How long... were you gone?”Summer nods, desperately.“Hmmm.” The man takes off his hat. “I’d have to ask Yang and Ruby that to be sure, but... I would guess around twelve years.”
Comments: 15
Kudos: 89





	1. Pre-Operative

_Tell._

It’s a command, without a voice. A sensation of demand, made through pain. Her flesh--her limbs--crawling... her breath hitched, barely.

_Tell how destroy them. Tell how kill them._

She does not. She musters enough defiance to deny, even.

The presence writhes on her, even as it moves around the battlefield. It speaks not in words, but in twisting grey smoke. In front of her eyes is an image of her holding hands with the two of them. And then, a line, and the image is her alone.

The threat is clear. Either kill them now, or be made to forget them forever. Like... like...

Even now, she doesn’t know who it is she’s forgotten. She just knows they were stolen, by this thing. It just takes, and takes, and takes...

_Tell. Or forget._

She hesitates--they’re her daughters after all--

_Small forget._

The pain reaches deep into her head and she struggles to remember... what? What was it?! It was important--maybe, maybe if she looked for the rest--

_Tell how kill, or forget more._

...maybe she can lie. She brings up the idea of, of the two fighting--such a big fight, and they hated each other after--

_Untrue._

The pain reaches in her head again and she scrambles to keep a grip on the memory of--of--there was cake! Cake was there... or was it cookies, or--?! Was it a birthday, did she forget--

_No more chance. Tell how kill or--_

The grey fog in front of her lifts. She barely has time enough to realize what that meant--time enough to blink the black goop away and look at her daughters with her own eyes--before the one in red, grabbing the armor of a blonde boy, reaches out and touches her face.

And then her world explodes.

* * *

The pain is...

...not gone, exactly. Oh, it’s definitely not gone. Her body is screaming all sorts of warnings and reporting incredible amounts of stuff just _missing._ It should be all sorts of overwhelming.

But... it’s not like it was before. It’s not coherent. It’s... wild. Chaotic. Alive.

The presence is gone. The pain she has... it’s her own, now.

She looks around, trying, trying to focus. Her own eyes. And... yes... it’s been years, but those are her daughters. This one... this one was so young when she left, and now she’s over her, every emotion warring on her face as she tries desperately to reassure her.

It’s been so long since she could hear... hear anything other than the squelches and the growls... and the witch’s voice. It takes her a moment to understand what’s being said.

“...doctor, he’s really good--JAUNE! You’re safe, you’re going to be... going to get better, just--just hold on a little longer--”

The blonde boy is here now, and--oh, _that_ was what was missing. Her parched soul is suddenly awash and she drinks, desperate gulps bringing her back from the brink--

“Ruby, she’s in bad shape, I don’t know if--”

“Jaune, please--”

The name. Ruby. It... it fits. She tries to remember how to speak.

“H... hr...”

No... no, that’s not right.

“Hrra...”

No, that’s not it either!

“Mom?”

She looks up. It’s... it’s the lips, shape the lips, it...

“Hrrha...”

...she’s forgotten how to talk. The presence took her voice.

“That’s right.” A small smile is a beacon in the storm on her daughter’s face. “I’m Ruby.”

She smiles back, relief flooding her. At least she can still... sort of communicate.

A sound catches her ears, and her eyes drift a bit. She sees--she sees her other daughter, and strangers, all doing battle with a writhing mass of shadow and bone, careful to stay out of the way of the undefined flailing limbs.

“...Yeah.” Ruby’s voice is soft. “We got you out, and... now we just have to kill it.” She laughs wryly. “Not making it easy.”

“Fh...”

“What?”

She looks at Ruby, trying to lift her hand, before remembering she can’t feel her arms. “Fh... hrr...”

“Fr... freeze? Freeze it?” At her nod, she looks up. “Freeze it.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” says the boy.

Ruby nods. “Snowstorm!” she shouts to the fighters.

And somehow that’s a signal, her other daughter flipping the blue girl into the air, and suddenly ice pierces the mass. It shrieks and writhes, and she can see the bone mask reaching out to her--

\--and the boy bashes it back with his shield. “I’m taking her to Pietro,” he says, picking her up.

“Okay.” Ruby gives her a final look. “Mom... we’ll be right behind you.”

And as she watches her daughter dart into the fray, she can’t help but wonder how much she’s missed.

* * *

The doctor had called her Summer Rose.

Names.... names had been the first thing the presence had taken. The witch had made sure of that, ordered it. She could still recall the pain, as words were ripped from face after face after face. She... she was _almost_ certain her own had been the last...

The witch had taken her name from her, and this man had given it back. For that alone, she’d be in his debt.

She rasps at him. “H... hua..”

“How...?”

A nod. “Luh...”

“Long...? How long...” The doctor sighs. “You’ve been through a lot, Summer. I don’t know how much you can recover--”

She shakes her head. “Nn! Nn.... Hua... luh... gugh?” Every fragmentary sound is a monumental struggle, and by the end of it she’s shaking, begging the man to understand her with her eyes. She has to know...

“...How long... were you gone?”

Summer nods, desperately.

“Hmmm.” The man takes off his hat. “I’d have to ask Yang and Ruby that to be sure, but... I would guess around twelve years.”

Twelve years.

Twelve years...

Summer falls back onto the pillow of the strange, clinical bed, staring at the ceiling. Twelve years missed. And her memories in as good a shape as her body...

Something about the doctor’s words pushed through. “...Hra? Yuh?” At his blank expression, she concentrated. “Hra, buh. Yuh!”

“...Ruby and Yang?” At her nod, he gave her a comforting smile and put a hand on her shoulder. “Your daughters are doing fine. Well, as well as they can be given... everything going on.”

Yang. That was the other name, Yang. Summer fell back, relieved giddiness flooding her aching lungs. She could get the names back, at least...

“I’ve been keeping them informed of your situation. They’ve visited, of course, between helping out with... everything.” He pats her shoulder reassuringly. “I think you’re doing well enough that you can be awake when they come around.”

Summer smiles at that, for a moment. Then she looks down, at the bandages, and the tubes, and the four stumps where her arms and legs used to be. Her smile fades away.

“...I don’t know how much you can recover,” the doctor admits. “But I do know you being alive at all--it’s a miracle.” His gaze grows distant for a moment. “My daughter... well, there was a horrible accident, and a lot of people gave up on her. I didn’t, though--I worked as hard as I could to bring her back from the brink. And when she came back... well, she’s living her life to the fullest, now, even with all the constraints on her.

He focuses on her again. “I promise you, Summer, I will do everything I can to help you. Things... won’t ever go back to the way they were. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be with your family.”

Summer nods, tensing her jaw. She’d missed twelve years. She wasn’t going to miss any more. Not if she could help it.


	2. Amputation

“Hi Mom,” Ruby says softly as she enters, accompanied by Yang and... somebody else.

Summer smiles at them. “Hra! Yuh!” She might not be able to _say_ their names, but she can at least try to enthuse her tone.

Yang smiles. “Good to see you too.” She turns toward the third girl. “Penny, uh... do you mind giving Ruby and I some time alone with her?”

The girl nods. “I will be right outside if you need anything.” She steps outside, still visible through the window.

Summer notices that Ruby watches her go, with a fond smile on her face. A very _fond_ smile, actually. She tilts her head, the rustling of her pillowcase making Ruby turn back toward her. “Pbeh?”

“...Penny?” At Summer’s nod, Ruby laughs a little. “She--she’s a friend. A good friend. Actually Pietro’s daughter--the doctor who’s... helping you out.”

“Yeah, Penny’s _something_ alright,” Yang says with only the slightest tease in her tone. She smiles at Ruby’s huff, pulling a stool from beneath the desk on the wall and sitting down next to Summer. “So... uh... I’d ask how you’ve been, but...”

She shrugs, her gaze flicking for a moment toward the stumps.

“Oh come on, Yang, I’m sure she gets plenty of doctor talk from Pietro.” Ruby pulls out a stool of her own, sitting down and grinning broadly. “We’ve got so much to catch up on, Mom! Uh... what do you want to hear about first?”

Summer scrunches up her face, considering for a moment. Her eyes move from Ruby, to Yang, looking them over, before falling on the long red fabric around her younger daughter’s neck. She grins. “Huh.”

“....Hug?” At Summer’s sigh, Ruby holds up her hands. “No, wait, I can get this! Hu...honey? Hover...”

“Nn. Hhh... hrga!”

“Is... is it not an h word?”

Summer shakes her head.

“Does it start with a vowel?” Yang asks. “A, e, i--no? Okay, uh...”

“Is it a g word?” Ruby tries, cringing when Summer shakes her head again.

“Is it a _hard_ consonant?” 

Summer nods vigorously.

“Okay, okay... K? The letter K?” Yang asks, getting a head shake. “C?” Summer nods, and Yang looks at Ruby. “C word... cloak?”

Summer breathes out. “Yuh.”

“Cloak.” Ruby fingers the cloth. “My cloak... well, uh, I’ve been wearing a cloak since I was ten.”

“She used to just tie a blanket around her neck,” Yang confides. “Said it was a cape like Uncle Qrow’s. So when her tenth birthday was coming up, we kind of conspired to get her a cloak as a present.” She chuckles. “It was way too big for her, but then she hit a growth spurt, and... well, she’s been wearing a cloak ever since.”

“It was... kind of a way to feel closer to you too,” Ruby admits, with a hesitant smile. “I mean... back then, we thought you’d...”

She trails off, glancing away. Summer wants to reach for her, but all she can do is wriggle a little.

Yang shares a look with her and, quietly, reaches out to put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder. Ruby looks up at her sister, then follows her gaze toward Summer’s face; Summer gives her a gentle smile, hoping she’ll understand the intent.

“...yeah, well.” Ruby laughs a little. “I just... wear a cloak now, anyway. It’s not just a way to remind myself of you, it’s... it’s part of me, now. You know?”

Summer nods, reassuring her as much as she can. Identity, self, it comes from a lot of places--something every huntress knows, and something she herself has far too much experience with. She doesn’t know how much of herself is lost to the memories torn from her...

Ruby sees the way her face falls and puts a hand on her shoulder. “I mean you’re still important! Obviously. The cloak means a lot of things!”

Summer huffs, rolling her eyes at her daughter. “Feh.”

“...fine? It’s fine?” Ruby blinks at her nod. “It’s fine. Okay.”

Yang smiles sadly. “I don’t think that’s what’s bothering her, Rubes.”

Summer huffs, but nods a little.

“Right. Um.” Ruby pauses, clearly trying to think of what to say. “So... Yang and I went to Beacon!”

That’s clearly supposed to be important, from the way Yang perks up, but... it’s a name without meaning. Summer blinks politely anyway. “Yuh?”

“Yeah,” Yang says proudly, “little Ruby here managed to get herself enrolled two years early by being the best sort of badass. Wound up the leader of the team too!”

Ruby laughs awkwardly. “Yang--”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Ruby.”

Ruby sighs. “I know, I know. But... I wouldn’t have accomplished half of what I have without everyone else.”

Summer watches the interaction, trying to keep her confusion hidden. She had to have known whatever it was her daughters were talking about, before--well... before. It seems like it should be obvious, the way they talk about it so casually.

“So, yeah, I’m the leader of team Ruby,” Ruby says. “That’s, uh, R W B Y. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang--we’ll have to introduce you, after Pietro says you’re ready for more visitors.”

Summer nods, holding onto the names tightly.

“Our initiation was pretty crazy,” Yang admits. “I mean, you went through the same sort of thing, so you know how it can be--”

Oh.

Summer tries to hide her sudden realization, but she’s not quick enough. Ruby notices and stops Yang with a touch, flicking her eyes toward her.

“...Mom?”

She can’t explain it. She can’t explain how she doesn’t know how initiation is supposed to go, or what Beacon is, or why team RWBY should be important. She can’t explain that her memories of all that are _gone,_ because she doesn’t even know how to talk anymore.

Summer sees her daughters, looking down at her with worry, and clenches her eyes shut.

“Hey! Hey...” A hand is on her shoulder. “Mom. Look at me.” Yang’s voice is soft and gentle. “Please?”

She sighs, but opens her eyes and looks.

Slowly, Yang raises her other hand, and it’s the first time Summer has seen it clearly--a hand not of flesh, but of metal and gold.

“I... know what it’s like to lose a part of yourself,” she admits. “And okay, just losing an arm is--it’s not nearly as much as what you’ve been through. But... it’s okay to not be okay."

Ruby puts a hand on her other shoulder. “You don’t have to be strong for us,” she says, with a sad smile. “You’re supposed to be recovering. _We’re_ supposed to be helping _you.”_

Summer shakes her head. “Nn.” She’s their mother! This isn’t how it’s supposed to be, not at all! She should be protecting them and baking them cookies and... and...

...and she’s stuck in a bed, without arms or legs or even a voice.

She tries to fight it, but tears come to her eyes without her permission. Ruby, carefully, leans over and hugs her.

“Don’t keep it all pent in,” she murmurs. “Don’t... don’t make the same mistake I did, Mom.”

And as Yang joins the hug, Summer gives up, and lets herself cry for the first time in years.


	3. Acute Post-Surgical

Her nose is gone. Just... gone, with two long thin holes where it used to be. There’s a small divot on her left cheekbone--well, not small, but hard to notice with all the scars and stitches covering her face. What’s left of her lips are thin and tattered, a jagged line over her fractured teeth. Her left ear is in shreds, and the place where her right used to be is covered by a small circle of metal. A circle much like the much larger one that’s apparently been grafted to the side of her head.

It’s the first time Summer’s seen her reflection. She’d seen the scars on her own body when she looked down, of course, but...

“Pebh?” She focuses on the ginger holding the mirror, and she waits till Penny’s looking at her before flicking them up toward the metal circle on her head. “Wyuh...?”

“What is the thing on your head?” Penny's gaze falls at her nod. “Well, as you know the... the Torment, that’s what we’re calling it, was able to... use you.” She shuts her eyes, hand curling tightly and trembling, before Ruby takes it and cups Penny’s face gently.

Pietro sighs, his chair walking over. “From what we can tell, the Torment was only able to do so by drilling a hole in your head and interacting directly with your brain, which left you with quite a bit of brain damage after Ruby got you out of it. The port on your head keeps that hole sealed, as well as connecting to your brain for the next stages of your treatment.”

Summer looks at her reflection again, a scarred mockery of her former visage complete with two screws. Like some sort of... something...?

Ruby looks at her sadly. “I’m sorry we didn’t find you sooner--”

“Nn!” Summer shakes her head, straining for the words. “Nn... yuh... fuh.”

Her daughter huffs. “Maybe it isn’t. Still...” She trails off for a moment, clearly not sure what to say.

“...I have a port on the back of my head,” Penny offers. “See?” She turns around, pointing to a golden circle at the center of her hair. “It’s not just you.”

“Yeah!” Ruby rallies quickly. “And look, she even has a bow on it--or, uh, bow flap things.”

Summer watches the pink panels wiggle in demonstration for a moment or two. She rolls her head to Pietro, raising a ragged eyebrow.

“I may have indulged a little,” he admits with a smile. “She _is_ my daughter, after all.”

“Heh,” Summer laughs. She flicks her eyes upward toward the... port in her own head.

“Maybe I can make you a similar decoration, once we’re ready to design prostheses for you. You still have to heal up a bit, mind.”

Summer nods, turning back--and she can’t help a small smile as she sees Ruby idly playing with the metal bow, trying to catch the tip on the tip of her finger as it flaps up and down. Ruby takes a moment to notice her looking at her; she quickly pulls her hand back, clearing her throat.

“So, yeah. Ports. Not alone.” She nudges Penny, who turns back. “And scars--well, Weiss has this scar over her eye from... you know what, that’s her story to tell. And that’s nothing compared to Nora’s whole...” Ruby gestures at her entire body. “...thing. Point is, I’m used to seeing stuff like this, and there are plenty of people who...” She flounders for a bit. “...have scars. And other things.”

“And who live fulfilling lives despite it,” Pietro offers with a small grin.

“Yeah! That! He’s an expert on this sort of thing, right?” Ruby gestures. “I mean... this... sucks. Obviously.”

Summer rolls her eyes.

“But you’re alive.” Ruby puts a hand on her shoulder, fighting back the tears in her eyes. “You’re... alive. And here. And... and it’s not perfect, sure, but... you’re here.”

Summer nods, meeting her gaze. “Hra...” There’s so much she wants to say. So much she wants to get through the gaps in her mind... to her, and to Yang, and to the nameless faces that bounce around her head--

\--she knows she has to wait. That’s the hardest part. If she could work for it, _now,_ work back to words and names and meanings, she’d be _doing_ something! She can’t even communicate her problems, though--it’s all guesswork and vague connections.

Ruby gently, carefully, cups her face. “I don’t know if we’re ever going to be able to talk to each other the normal way,” she admits. “But that doesn’t mean it’ll be like _this_ forever. We’ll figure something out.” A huff of a laugh escapes, and she waves a hand at Pietro. “I mean, this guy managed to bring you back from being stuck in the Torment for twelve years!”

The doctor shakes his head. “That was _you,_ Ruby. All I did is make sure she could stay with us.”

“That’s still a miracle, dad,” Penny points out.

“A minor one.” Pietro takes off his hat. “In all honesty... I’m worried the brain damage might have unexpected effects.”

Summer turns to look at him. “Yuh?”

He blinks for a moment, before sighing. “Well... obviously it’s affected your speech,” he starts. “And it’s possible it might have affected your motor control, though that’s not going to be obvious until after we set you up with some prosthetics. You might also have seizures in the future.”

Summer nods along as he speaks, fixing her eyes on him. He’s a doctor, so he has to know, right? He has to know...

“...you’ve... noticed something, haven’t you?” He narrows his eyes. “Something else.”

“Yuh.”

“But what could you have...” he begins. His eyes widen. “Oh.”

“...dad?” Penny tilts her head.

“...It’s possible for brain damage to result in memory loss,” Pietro says. “Acute or severe.”

Summer rolls her head back onto the pillow, sighing. “Yuh.”

“Memory...” Ruby’s eyes move from Pietro to Summer, her expression falling. “But... you know who I am, right?”

“Yuh!” Summer assures her quickly. “Hra!”

“And Yang, you know--”

“Ruby!” Pietro snaps.

Ruby looks to him, desperate. “Pietro, I just--”

“We don’t know how much she remembers, or what the gaps are,” Pietro explains softly. “I know you’re worried, but trying to force her to remember things... might distress her.”

Ruby falters. “I... _can_ she remember?”

“...it’s not likely,” Pietro admits. “Grimm are creatures of pure destruction. She can still form new memories, it seems, but whatever holes she has...” He shakes his head. “It _might_ be possible, Grimm-based brain damage has no medical precedent, but I wouldn’t bet on it.”

Summer sighs, getting their attention. All she can do is shrug, her apology written on her face as she looks at her daughter.

“Oh mom...” Ruby hugs her softly. “I... I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

“Hra....” Summer nuzzles in, as close as she can. Maybe it doesn’t solve anything... but at least they know now. At least they know.

It’s progress.


End file.
